Mr Robot Season 2 has landed

The anarchists known as fsociety are back. The revolution is coming. Welcome to unchartered TV territory.

Mr Robot Season 1 blew critics and audiences away with its careful crafting, attention to detail, contemporary storyline, dark, suspenseful tone, and the taut performances from its tight cast (big names include Rami Malek as computer wunderkind Elliot and Christian Slater as lead hacker “Mr Robot”). It won the coveted Golden Globe in 2016 for Best Drama Series; Slater took home the Golden Globe for the Best Actor in a Supporting Role; and Malek won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series.

Season 2 launched today on Showmax, and the stakes are higher than ever for Elliot and fsociety. At the end of Season 1, they pulled off their massive five/nine hack on E Corp, and Season 2 opens 30 days later. They now have to cope with the consequences: fighting off the Feds while trying to get a handle on the Chinese hacker-for-hire group The Dark Army. Meanwhile, Elliot’s mental health problem rears its head, and this time it means business.

Since one of our favourite things about Mr Robot is the clever messaging behind every single element in every single episode, we’ve compiled a list of some of the “Easter Eggs” (or hidden messages) to look out for while you’re bingeing Season 2.

5 hidden messages to look out for in season 2.0

1. The most meta episode titles on TV

As in Season 1, the episode titles in Season 2 look like encrypted file names, such as “eps2.3_logic_b0mb.hc” (Season 2, episode 3) and the terrifying “eps2.4_m4ster_s1ave.aes” (Season 2, episode 4). Each episode title is significant, and acts as a clue to the events that will unfold.

For example, the title of episode 3 refers to a logic bomb, a piece of code inserted into software that will “execute a malicious action only when one or more specified conditions (if/then) is met. Logic bombs are often components of viruses set to execute at a designated time” (source: wikia.com).

2. The colour red

In Season 2, episode 1, Elliot sees a woman he calls Hot Carla, “the local pyro[maniac]”, who he comes to think of as his “personal totem”, burning a book – try to see the title of the book here, because it’s important – in a red wagon. This is the first of many red signals and symbols that can be seen as warnings throughout Season 2.

3. Whiterose

Season 1, episode 7 was titled “eps1.7_wh1ter0se.m4v”, and by Season 2 we’re a little closer to knowing who this person is – the leader of Chinese-based hacker group The Dark Army. But we still don’t know anything about their motivations. Even in Season 2, Whiterose remains an enigma to us and fsoceity. When Mr Robot makes contact with Whiterose in Season 2, we realise just how little idea fsociety has about what they’re getting themselves into.

The writers left us a little clue in the name “Whiterose”, though, which is an anagram for … ? (We know you’ll get it.)

4. Music

Having won an Emmy for its score (for the Pilot episode), it’s no surprise that, like every other element of the show, Mr Robot takes music seriously. Listen carefully for musical Easter Eggs in all episodes, but especially in the Finale, Part 1.

There are four songs that play in this episode – and they’re all from the movie Back to the Future. We’ll leave it to you to figure out what it means.

5. ALF

Yes, we’re talking about the smart-mouthed Alien Life Form from the 1986-1990 sitcom. He makes a cameo in Season 2, episode 4, in a 90s-sitcom sequence that was shot using Beta tapes and cameras for authenticity.

We have no idea what ALF’s appearance in this episode means.

But it’s clear that the brains behind the Mr Robot operation share our affinity for late-80s/early-90s film and television!

Want to plug in and stream or download the new season of Mr Robot?
Sign in or get your free 14-day Showmax trial now »